More than 1,000 men and women jammed the assembly room of the Turnhalle at 85th Street and Lexington Avenue on Tuesday night to determine the future course of the League of Friends of New Germany, pro-Hitlerite organization which has gained prominence during the last week with federal investigation of their activities.
Dr. Ignatz T. Griebl, who recently resigned as chairman of the organization, rose amid thunderous applause from his position on the rostrum. He explained that he had resigned from the chairmanship of the organization.
“But I can not discuss the reasons now,” he told the league. “Perhaps at some later date we may go into the causes for my resignation.”
For two hours the meeting occupied itself with a general discussion of the necessity of adhering to the policy of the league throughout the present crisis.
Herr Meyer of Brooklyn, who took a leading part in last night’s discussions, demanded that the league observe the utmost quiet in their deportment for the time being.
“I ask you to remain sane and peaceful during the present situation,” he told the assemblage. “But while we are quiet, we must nevertheless remain more loyal than ever to the League of Friends of New Germany.”
TOO MUCH PUBLICITY
The order for quiet was explained to the audience by the fact that “the League of Friends of New Germany” has received far too much unfavorable headline publicity during the last week.” Activities, it was said would be resumed when the current publicity impended upon federal investigation of Nazi activities in the United States blew over.
While no mention was made of a number of prominent Nazi agents absent from last night’s meeting, their failure to appear produced further evidence of flight before the federal investigation.
Erich Wiegand, lieutenant to Heinz Spanknoebel in disseminating anti-Semitic and Hitlerite propaganda, was not in the hall. It is reliably reported that he and seven other professional Nazi propagandists left for Germany aboard the Hamburg-American liner Deutschland Wednesday midnight.
DUTY TO HOLD PEACE
Herr Schuster of Brooklyn told the group it is the duty of all German-Americans to hold their peace “for the time being.” “We should not criticize developments at present,” he said.
As the meeting drew to a close it was announced that “a surprising pronouncement regarding a future German Day celebration will be made in two weeks.” The statement drew wild applause from the league. It was believed that the German Singing Society might promote the fete successfully after the city elections.
The meeting adjourned as the league sang the “Horstwessel Lied” with their arms extended in the Hitler salute.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
